Carton and handle



y 1968 K. B. READE 3,383,029

CARTON AND HANDLE Filed Dec. 7, 1965 7 INVENTOR.

jIZvm a j 16% g zw g United States Patent 3,383,029 CARTON AND HANDLE Kemp B. Reade, Wayland, Mass., assignor to Dennison Manufacturing Company, Framingham, Mass., a corporation of Nevada Filed Dec. 7, 1965, Ser. No. 512,096 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-17) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Handle for milk-bottle carton having a top ridge, the handle being formed of sheet material having two sections folded together with their ends free to straddle said ridge and be cemented thereto.

This invention relates to cartons, such as milk cartons for example, which have top flaps sealed together to form a vertical ridge, and to handles for carrying such cartons. Heretofore it has been proposed to staple a handle over the aforesaid ridge but such construction is unsatisfactory because it is difficult to open the carton for pouring and the carton tends to leak.

Objects of the present invention are to provide a handle which can be applied to a carton quickly and easily, which provides secure carrying means; which does not cause the carton to leak, which permits the aforesaid ridge to be opened easily for pouring, which may be reclosed, which facilitates tipping the carton for pouring, and which can be folded over to permit storage in spaces of restricted vertical dimension.

The present invention involves a handle having two sections separated by a fold line, each section having an outer zone and an inner zone intermediate said fold line and the outer zone, said inner zones having one or more finger openings which register when the sections are folded together about said line, the inner surfaces of said sections comprising heat-seal material so that when the handle is folded over said ridge said outer zones may be heatsealed to the opposite sides of said ridge. Preferably the handle is perforated along the aforesaid fold line in the region of one end of the line so that the sections may be spread apart for pouring. In the preferred embodiment the handle has score lines or creases or weakened lines between the aforesaid inner and outer zones to facilitate bending the handle to one side after the handle is applied to a carton, the weakened lines being equidistant from the aforesaid fold line.

For the purpose of illustration a typical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing in which FIG. 1 is a plan view of the handle before folding;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the handle applied to a carton;

FIG. 3 is a section on line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a carton opened for pouring; and

FIG. 5 is an end view of the carton with the handle bent over as aforesaid.

The illustration comprises the usual milk carton 1 having top flanges 2 and 3 sealed together to form a vertical ridge, the flanges being separable at one end for pouring in the usual way. The handle comprises two sections separated by a fold line 4, each section having an outer zone 6 and an inner zone 7 intermediate the fold line and outer zone, the inner zones having fingers opening 8 which register when the sections are folded together. The inner surfaces of the sections comprise heat-seal material so that, when the handle is folded over the aforesaid ridge as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 the outer zones may be heatsealed to the opposite sides of the aforesaid ridge. While any' heat-seal material may be used polyethylene is preferred because of its compatibility with the usual carton surface.

As shown at 9 in FIG. 1 the handle is perforated along the aforesaid fold line at one end of the line so that the sections may be spread apart for pouring as shown in FIG. 4.

The handle has weakened lines 11. between the aforesaid inner and outer zones (FIG. 1) to facilitate bending the handle to one side as shown in FIG. 5 to permit storage in spaces of restricted vertical dimension.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. For a carton of the type having top flaps sealed together to form a vertical ridge, the flaps being separable at one end of the ridge for pouring, a handle having two sections separated by a fold line containing perforations in the region of one end of the line so that the sections may be spread apart for pouring, each section having an outer zone and an inner zone intermediate said fold line and the outer zone, said inner zones having finger openings which register when the sections are folded together about said line, the inner surfaces of said sections comprising heat-seal material so that when the handle is folded over said ridge said outer zones may be heat-sealed to the opposite sides of said ridge.

2. A container according to claim 1 wherein said outer zones of both sections extend beyond said inner zones so as to overlap opposite sides of said ridge.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,733,219 10/1929 Duvall 229-52 2,846,134 8/1958 Moubayed 229-52 3,206,104 9/1965 Cohen 229-52 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

R. PESHOCK, Assistant Examiner. 

